In A Single Heart Beat
by Don'tBeDead
Summary: It's a one way trip, and both Steve and Tony know it.


_**His heart beat wildly in his chest. Jarvis's voice was a distant murmur in his ears. All there was was him, and the bomb. He knew what he had to do. **_

The portal that the Tesseract opened in the sky was unlike anything any of them had seen before. It was as if God himself (if there was one, which there wasn't) had taken hold of the sky above them and ripped a gaping hole in it. The cobalt blue of the Tesseract's immense power laced its way through the clouds, burning the eyes of anyone who dared look at it for long enough. Chitauri swarmed the skies as they made their way down onto Midgard, their lust for power and control driving them.

Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to watch as these creatures came to Earth from the belly of space before erupting in a flurry of movement. Hawkeye took to the roofs with his arrow, the others stayed on the ground to defend the people.

Tony glanced around him as he flew, his suit sending him data about everything. He could hear the quite buzz of action from the ground through the radios of the others. He pushed his worry for Steve out of his mind as he tuned out their fighting. He had no time to worry about him now. Wishing he hadn't had that extra glass of scotch, he dove around the side of a building, catching sight of the huge snake-like monster threading its way through the portal. Smile spreading across his face, he sped towards it, a badly formulated plan running through his head.

Getting the attention of the big beast wasn't hard at all- a few shots to its head had it moving towards him, roaring loud enough to send vibrations through him. Tony smirked and flew off, zipping between buildings as it trailed after him, jaws smashing together.

"Guys, I'm bringing the party to you." He said, his voice buzzing through the radios to the others fighting at ground level. He felt the monster gaining on him but this just made him laugh as he rounded the building, almost clipping his shoulder on the corner. The rest of the Avengers turned to watch him as he flew towards them, shock filling their faces.

"I don't see how that is a party, Stark." Natasha's voice sounded in his ear, making him laugh again as he dodged an overturned bus, making way for the Hulk as he erupted into a massive ball of green muscles, taking the Chitauri snake head on. Landing with a heavy clunk on the ground beside the Captain, he quickly checked him over, making sure he was okay. He rested a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder briefly before pulling away and blasting the head off one of the many hideous creatures heading towards them.

Fingers burning from heat as he blasted another alien, he took a moment to look around him. His team, his _family_, stood around him, fighting alongside him to save their planet. He took off again, leaping up into the sky, the sounds of Hulk smashing echoing through the city.

Tony flew gracefully through the city, Jarvis guiding him as he took down the enemy, one after another. Fire erupted in front of him as one of Clint's arrows struck the monster in front of him, sending metal flying everywhere. Red hot pain erupted in his shoulder as one of the pieces slammed into him, causing the metal of his suit to crush against his bone. He shrugged it off and kept fighting, ignoring the pain. There were more important things to worry about.

Eyes shining with the excitement of the fight, Tony flew around the city, adrenaline pumping through his body, numbing the pain of any wounds he had. Finally it felt like they had the upper hand in this fight, like they were going to win. But hope is always misleading. When the second wave of monsters, twice the size of the first, came through the portal, everyone felt the beginnings of fear building in their stomach.

It wasn't until Tony got that phone call that the small amount of fear in all of them turned to heavy sinking dread.

The words 'bomb' and 'destruction' were the only things that really registered to Tony. His mind was too focused on Steve. He had to save him. He had to protect him. For once in his life, he was going to do something good.

He heard it before he saw it, his suit picking up on the radio transmissions from the jet heading towards New York. He could see the rest of his team standing there, looking shattered. He could here broken pieces of their conversation; all heartfelt words of goodbye. He turned and sped off, sparing one last glance at Steve. "I love you, baby." He murmured to himself, before focusing on the task ahead.

His heart beat wildly in his chest. Jarvis's voice was a distant murmur in his ears. All there was was him, and the bomb. He knew what he had to do.

Stomach clenching tight with fear, Tony closed his eyes. His team was too busy fighting desperately until the end to notice where he was going. Panic began to build in him as he watched the jet near, the hatch on the bottom sliding open. Time seemed to slow as the bomb was lowered and released into the air, the plane pulling up and flying in the direction it had come from.

Metal clinking against metal as he wrapped his arms around it, he couldn't help but shudder. In his last moments, Iron Man was going to go out shining.

Straightening up, he pushed everything else out of his head, focusing on his breathing. Deep breaths. Keep calm. He looked up at the sky, the pulsing portal driving a stake of fear through his heart. Don't panic. Jarvis telling him not to do it. You have to do this. Steve's voice cutting through the calm, realising what he was doing. Please stop, baby. Screaming at him no. I have to do this. The suit getting low on power. Push through it. Air circulation is cutting off. Ignore the pain. Vision fading, there's not enough power. Have to do this. Steve begging and pleading. Baby, I'm so sorry. The portal getting closer and closer. No going back now. Power fading, grip tightening.

Tony didn't dare look down, didn't dare loosen his grip on the bomb. Almost there. Keep going. He felt his chest tightening from lack of air, his whole body aching. He could still hear Steve's screams for him to stop, to come back, but they were fading. The lack of air was pressing on him. He closed his eyes as he lost all power, exploding through the opening of the portal.

Everything was dark around him except the flashing lights of the mother ship. Except the gun fire of the creatures streaming down into Earth below. His body was shutting down from the lack of oxygen, his brain fuzzing. The sound of Steve's guttural screams ringing in his ears was the last thing he heard before his whole suit shut down.

Fingers unclenching, arms releasing, he watched as the bomb flew from his hands. He watched as it moved through space, powered by his desperate hopes before colliding with the ship.

The force of the explosion sent him backwards, falling. Tony stared above him as the ship exploded, the ball of fire expanding and enveloping everything in sight. He watched as it destroyed everything in its path, burning everything until there was nothing left. He watched until there was nothing left of him.

Just a body, falling.

Falling.

Falling through space, through the portal. Too fast to stop, for his suit to begin working again. Tony felt nothing but a calming blackness, though barely even that. He was too far gone, body struggling to fight as he fell, suit clutching at him and crushing him within its metallic grasp.

Tony fell head over heels through the air, body hanging limp. His team watched in desperation from the ground, time frozen between them as they hoped their worst fears weren't coming true. Steve collapsed, the only thing stopping him from hitting the ground was Thor's arms wrapped around him. His screams echoed up through the air, calling to Tony.

"Oh god, Tony! Please, _please_! Don't do this, Tony. Oh god, oh god. Tony…you can't do this, god damnit! I _need_ you! Please! Don't die, don't you dare die!"

His sobs raked through his body as his screams clawed at his throat, watching the one person he'd ever truly loved fall to his death. And there was nothing he could do to save him. His heart stopped beating and his breath caught in his throat. He was going too fast, falling too quickly. He wasn't going to make it.

Tony Stark wasn't going to make it.

Steve felt his fingers curl into fists, rage and agony boiling in him, hands clutching at his shield. His vision was turning red as he watched his lover fall. His muscles tensed as he waited for the dreaded impact. The sound of crunching metal and bones. The deathly silence as they collectively held their breaths, waiting for some movement. The horror realization that Tony Stark would never take another breath. The numbness that followed as Steve Rogers fell apart, watching as blood seeped between the broken cracks of the suit. The ache of taking off that mask and looking at the broken face underneath, the crushed bones of the one he loved.

Steve lurched forward, body moving on instinct as he ran, hoping to catch Tony as he fell. He screamed and tears blurred his vision, tripping on discarded cars and broken bodies of their enemy as he stumbled forward. Thor grabbed at his arms, holding him back. Pinning him to his chest, shielding his face. Steve struggled, turning in his grasp. He had to see this. He had to watch. His body sagged in his arms as Tony fell closer and closer to the ground.

Steve Rogers would be haunted by this moment for the rest of his life; images of Tony falling and falling, Steve running to save him but never getting there in time.

Captain America let out a broken scream, bile rising in his throat as he watched Iron Man fall further and further, death approaching rapidly. He begged and sobbed, screamed as loud as he could for someone to save him.

Steve stared helplessly, watching the love of his life slipping between his fingers. The pain was so intense and blinding that he almost missed Hulk crashing through a building and snatching Tony's body out of the air. Tears burned paths down his cheeks as he watched the Hulk scramble to keep a grip on the building, the weak brick crumbling beneath his weight and strength. Unable to hold him, the building collapsed, sending Iron Man and Hulk tumbling through the air once more.

In an act of sheer bravery and courage, Bruce Banner twisted himself around so Tony was clutched safely in his arms as the plummeted to the ground, Bruce taking the full impact on his back. There was a deadly silence between them all before the Hulk stood, a limp red body in his arms. Fear burning through his veins like acid, Steve scrambled to his feet, needing to feel Tony's warm body pressed against him.

Hulk stood there, holding the limp Tony in his arms, unsure what to do. He looked up to see Steve running straight at him, the look on his face was enough to break anyone's heart. Kneeling gently, he laid Tony on the ground as the Captain reached him.

"Oh god, Tony. You promised you'd never leave me. You said you'd stay forever." Steve whispered, voice broken as he fell to his knees and grabbed Tony, red hot stickiness spilled onto his fingers through the suit of armour.

He slowly and carefully pulled the mask off, hands shaking violently. A choked gasp forced its way out of his throat as he looked down at the blood covered face of his lover. Reaching out, he stroked his cheek, moving his fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse.

Everyone held their breaths, hoping and praying to God that there would be a pulse.

One.

Two.

There.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Heartbeat. Steve let out a hysterical cry as his fingers felt the weak pulse beneath his fingers. He bent down and pressed his lips to Tony's blood stained ones.

"Tony, Tony, it's me. Come back to me, baby. Please baby, I need you." He sobbed, fingers trembling as he ripped at the suit, tearing it from Tony's skin. His movements were frantic as he tore the arm pieces off, crushing them between his fingers. When the top half of his body was free from the metal, Steve looked down at what had become of him. The skin covering him was bruised and pale, bones bulging along his arms and chest where they weren't supposed to. Cuts ravaged his body and there was a deep wound on one shoulder. But he was alive. Steve cradled Tony's head in his lap, caressing his hair and rocked him softly.

"Tony, come on, wake up. It's Steve, baby. Wake up. Come back to me." He whispered, ignoring the heart breaking looks everyone else was giving him. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, but in all honesty was probably only a minute, before Tony let out a gut-wrenching groan.

Steve froze and lifted his head from where it had been pressed to Tony's forehead. He ran his fingers down his face to neck, holding his head in his hands. "Tony? Baby, can you hear me? Open your eyes if you can." He whispered, wiping the blood from his face with his glove and kissing every inch of his face.

Tony groaned again at the feel of Steve holding him, wanting to be wrapped up in his arms. His whole body ached and he knew more than one bone was broken. He struggled to pull his eyes open, green eyes looking up into Steve's blue ones.

"Steve…." He managed to get out, taking in large gasping breaths of air now that the Iron Man armour wasn't crushing him. He tried moving his arms but searing pain shot through him- broken arms then. He tipped his head back slightly, lips parted as invitation for Steve to kiss him. He needed that right now. "Steve, help." He whispered, voice hoarse and ragged.

Tony grinned through the pain when Steve leaned forward, pressing his lips to his. Steve muttered a pained apology in his ear before slipping his arms around Tony and lifting him, trying to ignore the screams of pain that omitted from him, tearing at his heart. He held him close to his chest and began moving quickly, needing to get him to a hospital.

The pain was too much for him so it wasn't long before Tony passed out in the Captain's arms, unable to stop the screams and moans escaping his lips. Tears cut a path through the blood on his cheeks as Steve murmured soft words in his ears, saying sorry over and over as he ran towards the nearest hospital.


End file.
